A Third Door
by Jacob Flood
Summary: An alternate take on Iron Bull's companion quest, 'Demands of the Qun'. The Inquisition pulls off the impossible almost as its core mission statement, so why not here as well?


We took out the Venatori without too much trouble. Me and Bull did our freeze-and-shatter combo on the last one to spectacular effect. The first time we tried it—somewhere down in Crestwood—he complained it took all of the blood out of the fight, but admitted he liked the exploding shards.

"We're clear, Gatt," said Bull, dusting pieces of Venatori from his armour.

"Right," said Gatt, kneeling by the fire. "Signalling the dreadnought."

The fire sparked suddenly red, bright and unnatural. Some Qunari chemical, no doubt. Varric was looking at it warily, while Blackwall had his eyes on the camp around us, looking for stragglers. Suddenly there was a flash, and the red light burst into the sky.

"Chargers already sent theirs up," said Bull, though I hadn't noticed in all the fighting. "See 'em down there."

I could see them. Over on the other spur, they seemed to have taken out their group of Venatori with even less trouble than we'd had. I grinned and waved at Krem. He waved lazily back.

"I knew you gave them the easier job," said Gatt, turning back to us.

Bull just smiled and looked out to sea. There was the clanging of a ship's bell and across the sharp waves of the Storm Coast came the Qunari dreadnought.

"Ah, that brings back memories," said Bull.

I watched his face then, as he blinked away the sea spray. A life so removed from my own, I thought, it was impossible to imagine. He caught me looking and I pretended to be intent on the dreadnought.

The immense Qunari ship launched its arsenal on the Venatori vessel. The latter stood little chance as the fiery missiles arced through the rain and impacted on the deck, sending up great explosions. From where we stood, I could see Venatori abandoning ship—though the sea would be no kinder to them. I imagined most would be lost under the waves in moments, or else dashed against the harsh rocks of the coast.

Bull laughed as the Venatori ship quickly vanished beneath the water. I was glad then that I hadn't brought Dorian along. Suddenly, Bull swore under his breath and I followed his gaze. Below us, on the beach, a large squad of Venatori was converging on the Chargers' position. More than even they could handle, and out of easy range for us. The Chargers prepared for battle.

"You don't need me to tell you how many there are," I said.

"Yeah," said Bull, frowning across the beach.

"Your men need to hold that position, Bull," said Gatt. There was something flat in his tone that angered me, but I let my friend take the lead.

"They do that, they're dead," he said.

"And if they don't," said Gatt, "the Venatori retake the position and the dreadnought is dead. You'd be throwing away an alliance between the Inquisition and the Qunari."

An unprecedented alliance, or so I'd been told. Not to mention the entire reason we were here. Bull was silent.

"You'd be declaring yourself Tal-Vashoth," added Gatt, which drew a snarl from Bull. "With all you've given the Inquisition, half the Ben-Hassrath think you've betrayed us already."

Which was something Bull hadn't felt the need to pass onto me.

"I stood up for you, Hissrad," continued Gatt. "I told them you would never become Tal-Vashoth."

"They're my men," growled Bull.

"I know," said Gatt, though I wanted to contradict him. Had he sat drinking with the Chargers all night, listening to their stories? Just as importantly, had he pored over the war table, paralysed with the multitude of options? "But you need to do what's right, Hissrad," he said, "for this alliance, and for the Qun."

Struck with indecision, Bull turned to me. This is why they made me Inquisitor. In these moments, with the pressure mounting on all sides, with time sliding away, I can see the solution in all its parts, clear as day.

"Which are we doing?" asked Blackwall. I could tell the prospect of letting the Chargers die didn't sit well with him.

"Neither," I said. The Chargers could live, and so could the dreadnought and the alliance. Endless times Cullen had repeated some Ferelden phrase at me: that you can't have your cake and eat it too. He was wrong. There is always a third door.

"What?" said Gatt. "That's impossible. They must hold the line and protect the dreadnought."

"Varric," I said, without turning to him, "how many impossible things have we done this week?"

"Oh, four or five," he said. "But it's been a slow week."

A smile edged onto Iron Bull's face as I began issuing orders.

"Blackwall, grab that tent. Varric, are they in range?" I asked, pointing at the Venatori down on the beach.

Varric squinted. "Barely," he said. "Wouldn't be able to make more than a couple of shots before they get wise."

"Then make them count," I said. "Blackwall, slide down the slope on that. Varric, follow him with Gatt and Bull when you're done."

"Down that?" asked Varric, winding Bianca back. But Blackwall, without questioning, was away, the tent fabric cushioning his descent. At the base of the slope he rolled, came up, and set out at a dead run for the Venatori. His faith in my planning was touching, especially when he didn't know the greater portion of it.

"You're still not going to make it in time, boss," said Bull. Already one of Varric's shots had found its mark and he was drawing back for another.

"Yes we are," I said. "Because you're going to throw me."

Bull's eyes lit up.

"That's insane," said Gatt. "You'll break every bone in your body."

I waggled my fingers at him. "Magic, remember?"

"If this works," said Bull, gently picking me up by the waist, never one to waste time with formalities, "I'll never make fun of you for being a skinny little elf ever again."

I grinned. Bull did two test swings, then flung me out from the spur. The wind rushed through my hair and the sudden kick of energy was such that I almost forgot to cast the crucial spell: fade cloak.

The spell spun around me and I landed, weightless and intangible. The spell cleared and I found the ever-reliable Blackwall helping me up. The Venatori were now well within range.

Looking back, I saw Varric descending the slope with Gatt on the another tent, while Bull was doing the same, bareback. On the other spur, Krem and the Chargers had seen our tent-based descent and liked it. While Dalish rained arrows down, the others descended on the Venatori from their side.

"Shall we?" I asked Blackwall.

"Of course," he said.

I cast barrier around him and we charged forward into the fray. I made a mental note to thank Commander Helaine. For without her, I never would have been able to perfect my preferred style of magic, getting in just as close as I preferred. Too much scrapping with the hunters in my younger days to be satisfied with holding back.

Blackwall tore into the nearest Venatori soldier, a spell rebounding off his barrier. I swept forward, heading for the nearest mage—always a priority. My spirit blade ripped through his torso, his blood splattering out across the wet sand. Ahead of us, the first Chargers reached the beach.

I sent my old favourite spell—chain lightning—rippling through the Venatori. Enhanced through long practice, it fried many foes, straggling bolts jolting through the rest. I saw fire flow across the rear of their ranks and grinned up at Dalish on the spur with her staff-bow, just about to descend the slope to join the others.

With a roar, The Iron Bull joined the fight. Well ahead of Gatt and Varric, he swept into the Venatori with his immense axe, taking down two who'd been closing in on me. Bolts from Bianca took out still more. As Bull came past me, I saw the crusted dirt and worn metal on his back from his descent of the spur.

Only when the last Venatori was bleeding out in the sand did Bull's breathing ease. We met up properly with the Chargers and I distributed some extra health potions around the larger-than-usual group.

"Nice fireballs, Dalish," I said to her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, without even the hint of a smile.

"You know Josephine's going to kill you," said Varric, pulling a bolt out of a Venatori corpse, "for pulling a stunt like this." Wryly, he added, "You know how she worries."

"And Sera'll kill you," added Blackwall, "for doing it without her."

I grinned at them both and turned to Gatt.

"That good enough for your alliance?" I asked him.

He looked out at the still-intact dreadnought, at the bloody state of us and the Chargers, and at the worse state of the Venatori.

"You'll have Qunari support against Corypheus," he said, looking at me and the bloodsoaked Bull. "But I see why the two of you get along so well. You're both completely insane. How neither of you have been killed by now is beyond me."

Bull and I met eyes. "Oh, but that's exactly why we haven't," I said.

"Yes," said Varric, rolling his eyes. "Welcome to the Inquisition, where we take the impossible as a challenge for some reason."


End file.
